Iraq War Shifts, Arabs Debate Obama vs. the Comeback Chick, Birth Pangs of A Sunni Alliance
Iraqi Smoke of Sectarian War:
The head of the Sunni Islamic Waqf (the body that manages the mosques and the tithe) in Iraq is defying the command of the prime minister firing him and has refused to step down. For good measure, the irate man, another Mr. A. A. Al-Samarrai (yes, there are many of them with that name over there) upped the ante by claiming that rape by the security forces is quite common, and that the rape victims are not only Sunni women, but they also include surly Imams of Sunni mosques. Apparently he was sitting on that explosive information for the day when he gets fired. Oy Veyyyy.
The war in Iraq seems to be acquiring new elements this year. These include claims of sectarian rape, a focus on shooting down helicopters, and the ominous use of chemical, or quasi-chemical, explosives by the Salafi Jihadists and Ba'athists.
Because of the impast on Iraq and the Middle East, Arab media are beginning to pay more attention to the U.S presidential campaign, and earlier than usual. Normally they would mostly ignore the nomination fight until the summer of election year. They are already giving more coverage to the Democratic rivalry between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton (the comeback chick?), and their current and past positions on the Iraq war.
A New Sunni Alliance?:
Arab media report that seven Sunni Moslem countries are being encouraged by the United States to form an alliance to counter and repel what they call the “Shi’a Tide" or "Shi'a Revival”. This would be an extension of the moderate-Arab alliance that has been taking shape since last summer’s Israeli-Lebanon war. Pakistan has extended an invitation for a meeting next Sunday of foreign ministers of seven major Sunni states. These states include Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Jordan (not sure how little Jordan fits into that category). Apparently the Pakistanis would like a future summit of the seven countries in Mecca later on. This is bound to irritate Iran, and piss off some very rich Persian Gulf Arab states that are being passed over. Or perhaps it is an honor some of them would rather decline.
Egypt's New Burning Tree:
A tree on the Cairo-Ismailia desert road in Egypt has created a furor in the media. Apparently the words Allah (God), and several names of the Prophet Mohammed have been noticed on the trunk of that tree. Some people have taken this as a miraculous sign, consider the tree blessed, and have taken to kissing the tree and praying near it- for these it has become a shrine. Some even claim that it emits the odor of incense (and myrrh). Others claim that the etchings are man-made, and that the tree should be cut down. A committee of academicians has ruled that the writings are fake, i.e they were made by humans.
It is not clear why it should be cut down, no matter WHO created the words. There are hardly any trees on that desert road.
Cheers
Mohammed
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